Training and Racing

How you handle aid stations can have a significant impact on how well your race goes. If you are speeding through a 50k looking for a PR, the emphasis at the aid station should be on how quickly and efficiently you can load up on food and water and get back out on the course. Taking the food with you, for instance, can save a lot of time.

If you ask most ultra runners about their training, many will acknowledge working with a coach at one point in time. Why? Well, the obvious reason is to have someone else help prepare you for a given distance or race.

The sun is barely up as fifty-odd runners gather for the Fort Ordnance 100K in Monterey, CA. The gun fires and they patter off, mentally setting their sights on the finish line 62 miles away. For one runner this race from dawn to dusk, literally outrunning the sun, is one she’s been on her whole life.

What’s the most overworked piece in your ultra kit? In mine, it’s the elevation profile – marked up with notes, folded in a baggie, and stuffed it in a pocket. During long ultras, I pull it out too often and see how far and how much climbing till the next aid station. By the finish, it looks like an ancient scroll, as beat up as my toes.

Although the word is occasionally overused, it’s no exaggeration to say that there’s a renaissance of sorts developing within the athletic apparel industry. In particular, wool performance clothing is more prominent now than it has ever been, and appears to be gaining momentum with every passing month. The fabric has been utilized for hundreds of

I’ve been fortunate to have remained healthy, motivated and passionate about long-distance running over the years. I believe some of this longevity is due to training principles and guidelines derived from years of success and failure.